FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT FLOOD INSURANCE - PAGE 2

YORK — New coastal flood maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency may require about 260 York County property owners who are now included in a high-risk flood zone to get flood insurance for the first time. The new maps, which update others from 1988, indicate flood-prone coastal areas along the East Coast, and are used by insurance companies to determine flood insurance rates. Those homeowners added to the flood zone will be required to purchase flood insurance if they have a federal loan or mortgage payment.

Peninsula residents and business owners saw plenty of flooding last month, but not the type that will require them to get flood insurance if they take out another mortgage. Heavy rain and debris-clogged storm drains caused most of the Peninsula flooding that resulted from Hurricane Floyd, according to officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, speaking from FEMA's regional headquarters at Newmarket Fair. "A lot of times, when you have heavy rains, you don't have high winds," said Martin Frengs, a civil engineer with FEMA.

Other than his carport, Jack Pruden's Dare home has not flooded in the 13 years he has lived there. He isn't required to have flood insurance because he doesn't have a mortgage, but Pruden opted for it anyway. "It's peace of mind, primarily for my wife," he said. "This is our big investment in our life, and if we lost our house in some fashion or it was horribly damaged, we would have a tough time rebuilding." That peace of mind does not come cheaply. Since 1994, Pruden's insurance premiums have increased from $450 a year to $780.

By David Macaulay, dmacaulay@dailypress.com 247-7838 | November 20, 2009

Hundreds of homes in Hampton were damaged in last week's nor'easter, but homeowners are unlikely to qualify for federal emergency assistance because of the high number of people covered by flood insurance, officials say. The city has likely qualified for FEMA's public assistance program, and small businesses are expected to be eligible for low-interest loans to address storm damage. Homeowners affected by flooding might not qualify for federal funds, however, because many people in the city appear to be covered by insurance.

Hurricane Floyd delivered a flash flood to the Richneck house where Del Celano lives with her mother. Water rose to knee-deep height inside the home, which Celano rents. "I've talked to people who have lived here 15 years and they said it's never happened this bad," Celano said. "It's a big surprise." As Celano and her Newport News neighbors sorted through ruined belongings in her front yard on a clear, sunny Friday, some faced another surprise: They, not their insurance, will have to pay for the damage.

GLOUCESTER - The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors has approved an updated floodplain management ordinance that includes the previous two-foot freeboard requirement and a new flood zone. The plan is expected to save residents money on flood insurance policies. "In general, this is a planning document. It is identifying what the county's goals and visions are to mitigate that flood risk," Garrey Curry, assistant county administrator for community development, told the board.

NEWPORT NEWS - More than 100 residents of Great Oak apartments are still displaced from Aug. 25 flooding, but should be back in their homes by the end of the year, officials said. Great Oak, located near City Center, is a 143-unit Section 8 property owned and managed by the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The property is designed for low-income senior and disabled residents. The authority is spending about $2.9 million in taxpayer dollars renovating 114 units damaged in the flood, using a combination of loans, reserves and annual funds that flow from the federal government.

FEMA is providing temporary financial relief to owners of properties affected by recent changes to flood risk maps. Beginning Jan. 1, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will allow owners of properties mapped into higher risk flood zones between October 2008, and Jan. 1 to forgo paying full-priced insurance premiums for a two-year period. Instead, owners will be allowed to pay lower-cost preferred risk policy rates. During the extension period, homeowners would be covered as if they were paying for the higher risk premiums that will be required after the extension ends, said Dave Bollinger, a FEMA mitigation outreach coordinator.

HarborLink Ferry needs time, support to break traffic backup It seems so simple and so right. Avoid the threat of traffic backups in the Hampton Roads Tunnel and take the fast passenger ferry from downtown Hampton to downtown Norfolk. No hassles and no parking fees. Save your gasoline. So why is the actual ridership of the HarborLink ferry going to amount to only half of original projections during its first year of operation? Because it will take longer than a year for people who think of their automobile as an extension of themselves to plan their days around a mass transit schedule.

— Letters are in the mail to about 7,000 Hampton property owners letting them know about new flood zones . The Federal Emergency Management Agency made the changes following a study to update its flood insurance rate maps that were last set in 1995. Hampton's Acting Fire Chief Tracy Hanger presented a report on the changes at the City Council's work session Wednesday afternoon. There are 1,740 properties in new flood zones, she said. Overall, about 7,000 out of 65,000 households in Hampton will be affected by either being added or removed from the zones.